Who may apply: Maryland residents who provide
public service in Maryland State or local government or
nonprofit agencies in Maryland to low income or underserved
residents.

How to apply: Complete and file a LARP
General application.

When to apply:
The application deadline is
September 30. Pre-Graduation Law Applicants
(those in their third year of law school) and Urban Teacher
Center (UTC) Applicants, also must apply
by September 30.

Eligible employment fields:
2015-2016 eligible
employment fields:

Lawyers
(judicial clerks in any court and policy analysts are not
eligible; principle part of the position must
provide legal services to low income residents in
Maryland who cannot afford legal services)

Nurses
(degree- or diploma-holding registered nurses;
school nurses are not eligible

Licensed Clinical Counselors

Physical and Occupational Therapists

Social
Workers
(either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in
social work)

Speech
Pathologists

Teachers
at any level or subject field who teach in schools
designated as Federal Title I or Schools Identified for
Improvement by the Maryland State Department of
Education (MSDE). The official list of schools is
available at the bottom of the LARP program description
page (see below). Head Start Programs are not eligible.Teachers
with the following areas of certification:

technology education (secondary);

chemistry (secondary);

computer science (secondary);

English for Speakers of other Languages-ESOL
(elementary & secondary);

The Nancy Grasmick Teacher Award provides loan
repayment assistance to those teachers that have
qualifying student loan debt and have taught in Maryland
for the past 2 years. In addition to meeting the
general Janet L Hoffman LARP requirements, applicants
must also meet the following eligibility requirements:

Teach in science,
technology, engineering, or math subjects; OR teach
in a school in which at least 75% of the students
are enrolled in the free meal program in the state
for 2 years, AND

Have received the
highest performance evaluation rating for the most
recent year available in the county in which
the teacher has taught.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

You must have earned a degree from a college in Maryland,
or from any law school, or a resident teacher certificate
from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). You must be
employed full-time (35+ hours per week) in state or local
government or in a nonprofit organization in Maryland. Your
employer must help low income, underserved residents or
underserved areas in the state. You must have educational loans from a
university, government, or commercial source that you used
to pay college expenses. You may not be in default on a
loan. Your annual gross salary cannot exceed $60,000. If
married, your annual gross salary cannot exceed $60,000, and
your combined salaries cannot exceed $130,000. If employed
as a nurse faculty member, your annual gross salary cannot
exceed $75,000. If married, your annual gross salary cannot
exceed $75,000, and your combined salaries cannot exceed
$160,000. This is a service-based program. Prior service
obligations from other State of Maryland scholarships must
be completed by July 1, 2014. One position cannot fulfill
two service obligations simultaneously.

URBAN TEACHER CENTER
(UTC) APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

You must be in your
2nd year of the program and possess a Maryland Resident
Teaching Certificate. You must
submit a LARP General application and all required documents by the deadline specified
in the "When to Apply" section. UTC
applicants are not eligible to receive the lock-in award.

PRE-GRADUATION LAW STUDENT REQUIREMENTS

You must be a law
student attending University of Maryland, Baltimore or
University of Baltimore and in your third and final year of
school. You must
submit a LARP General application by the deadline specified
in the "When to Apply" section. Our office must also
receive documentation of your official, eligible job offer
prior to January 1, 2016.

SELECTION

Applicants will be grouped according to eligible
employment field. Within employment fields, individuals will
be ranked according to graduation date, then application
complete date. If individuals have identical graduation
dates and application complete dates, applicants with the
lowest income will be awarded first.
Priority is given to individuals who have graduated from an
institution of higher education in the last three years.
Priority employment fields established by law are legal
services and nursing. Priority for awarding will also be
given to applicants who are employed as nurse faculty
members or applicants who teach in schools designated as
federal Title I, schools Identified for Improvement by MSDE,
or who teach in designated critical shortage subject fields.

AWARD AMOUNT

Awards will be determined by an applicant’s overall
reported educational debt at the time of application. Recipients will
lock-in to an award level that contains set award amounts.
Award funds are distributed annually over a three (3) year
period as long as the recipient remains eligible and
continues to submit the required annual employment, lender
and tax documentation by the
September 30 deadline.

Total Debt

Overall Award
Limit

Yearly Payment

$75,001 - Over

$30,000

$10,000

$40,001 - $75,000

$18,000

$6,000

$15,001 - $40,000

$9,000

$3,000

$15,000 - Below

$4,500*

$1,500*

*Payment
amount cannot exceed total debt; amount will be adjusted

RENEWING AN AWARD

Recipients of
lock-in awards are required to submit annual employment,
lender and tax documentation by the September 30 deadline
for each year that they receive funding. Failure to submit
required documentation by the deadline or failure to report
changes in your employment status and/or salary level
through out the service/award years will make you ineligible
for the award.

AWARD PAYMENT OPTIONS

Award recipients of the Janet L.
Hoffman Loan Assistance Repayment Program are eligible to
receive monthly payments if they participate in the federal
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). Individuals
who opt to participate in the monthly payment option will
receive 12 installments from March 2016 through February
2017. The monthly installment amount will be determined
based on the award amount (i.e. Yearly award of $6,000
equals 12 monthly payments of $500).

In addition to the monthly payment option, award recipients can also
choose to receive their award in one lump-sum.